• 15 Sep

    The Evolution of Apple Ads

    Apple, Branding, Marketing

    View Comments




    Apple first started advertising its products in the late 1970s.

    The 80s showed a wide variety of ads, some of which served to convince consumers that they should purchase a computer, and specifically an Apple.

    These ads were text-heavy and light on images, as were many computer and technology ads from that era.

    Apple ads really came into their heyday during the 1990s, with the “Think Different” campaign, which became very popular as they featured a number of famous people.

    Here’s a stunning compilation of some of Apple’s most notable advertisements from the 70s until the present day, including a few videos ads.

    With the launch of the iMac in the late 90s, Apple ads became much more artistic and, for the most part, focused much more on showcasing the product and used very little text compared with earlier ads.

    It’s also worth noting how the ads changed as the hardware changed. For more on the evolution of Apple’s hardware, see The Evolution of Apple Design between 1977-2008 which takes a look at the changes from a hardware perspective.

    Most recently, Apple has focused on television advertising, most notably with its Mac vs. PC ads. The company had done TV ads prior to that (starting with the ad based on George Orwell’s “1984″ during the 1984 Super Bowl), but mostly in conjunction with print campaigns.

    Current Apple ads seem to follow two veins: advertisements for their computers generally have a white background and put the emphasis on the product being advertised; ads for the iPod line generally have bright backgrounds with silhouetted figures. Most of Apple’s current advertising seems to be on TV these days. You can watch most of the recent ads on the Apple website.

    1970s


    1980s


    1990s


    2000-Present


    Video Ads



    Compiled exclusively for WDD by Cameron Chapman.

    How has Apple’s advertisement changed over the years? What are the most significant changes? Please share your opinion with us.



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    • http://thegamejc.deviantart.com/ TheGameJC

      fantastic compilation man

    • http://www.danieleckermann.com Mllx

      Awesome post :D
      First btw

    • http://www.orphicpixel.com Mars

      wow, how’d you collect all those vintage ads, amazing eh!

    • http://www.traxor-designs.com/ Luke Jones

      http://netdna.webdesignerdepot.com/uploads/apple_ads/1979studenthours.jpg

      That looks too much like Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan)

    • http://www.davidkendallwebdesign.co.uk DaveK

      love this article, I like the way you can see the macs slowly evolving into what we use today, I usually remember the early macs with nostalgia, and drool over the latest, but tend to forget all the ones in between.

    • Kees

      What’s an Apple man?

    • http://www.empfehlenswert-wien.at wien

      nice story

    • Pat

      Nice post. And interessting to see Apple before TBWA and after.

    • AleksGrynis

      Thats what I am talking about :) Great job!

    • http://www.zeemidesign.com zeemiDesign

      Great Post,
      especially impressive that you found all those really old ads.

    • http://www.tutdepot.com Martyn

      Awesome post! The newest adverts look slightly better than the old ones :P

    • http://www.delicious-webdesign.com/ Essex Website Designer

      Awesome trip down memory lane

    • Visa

      You missed a classic, the Ellen Feiss commercial in the “Switch” series: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GxC4kKD9qA

    • http://jf-larocca.com Jeff

      It’s so cool! Some of these ads are priceless.

    • http://human3rror.com John (Human3rror)

      This is killer! thanks so much.

    • http://www.suppod.com Jobber

      Thx. Great to see how fast technology moved forward. Impressive.

    • http://www.famefoundry.com The Communicator

      Part of my job responsibilities is to read recent and relevant online articles. I spent way too much time with this one, and I’m not finished. Might be the only one I read today. Got to get back to work. But I’ll be back! Thanks for this one!

    • http://www.fuelyourapps.com Chad Engle

      Awesome job grabbing a TON of ads. I think its funny the farther down you get the less and less texts the ads have and the more minimal they have become. Great look at deeps roots in tech & design history.

    • http://www.iowa-personalinjurylawyer.com/ Iowa personal injury

      That’s an impressive compilation. It’s really interesting to see how these ads have changed so much.

    • Ross

      Amazing!
      Where have you found all these ads?

    • http://www.arielisaac.com/ Sol

      Great compilation!
      Thx!

    • http://cg.pankov.org snikus

      MEGA COOL POST…. +5

    • http://www.asksander.com Sander

      I had an Apple //c when I was (much) younger… I’m kind of sad that I don’t have it anymore after seeing these ads… :)

    • http://www.slightlycurvedcube.co.uk Wayne Hodkinson

      Cool as cool can be!

    • http://www.davetyler.net dave

      very nice post =)

    • http://www.logobliss.com Logo Bliss

      that is an absolute epic list, (picks jaw of floor)…i think the apple ads a pretty creative..

    • http://www.sametomorrow.com/blog Adam

      Nice post of the evolution very interesting.

    • Rafael Roque

      Nice!!!

    • http://www.twitter.com/abgemei Abdurrahman Gemei

      Great stuff! I’m surprised how you actually compiled all of the ads and organized them. It must have taken forever. What a ride for Apple though.

    • carlos

      Hello, I think this is a great article for ad designers and other people in tha advertising busyness, but did you have to post it all in 1 super extra large page? what about posting just a part of the entire article and a link to rest of it so people who is really interested can read it.
      I was reading this in google reader and it took about 50 seconds to load all those pictures that I didn’t want to see even.

      Regards

    • http://www.webdesignerdepot.com Walter

      Most people prefer to have all images on one page. I’m aware that it takes a while to load.

    • Alex Keher

      You have to admit that the Ads of Adam is very very gay!

    • http://www.webdesignerdepot.com Walter

      The image sources can be seen by clicking on the images.

    • http://www.tvrotsyourmindgrapes.com Tatiana

      That was great! Great job finding the vintage print ads!

    • http://www.bradyoshiro.com/blog bradyo

      don’t know how you got all the ads but it awesome to see the evolution of the ads

    • http://www.trompodesign.com.mx/ TrompoDesign

      muy buen post gran compendio simplemente genial!!!!!!

    • http://www.josefrichter.com Josef Richter

      wow, what a comprehensive compilation! thanks

    • http://nishad2m8.deviantart.com nishad

      g8 collection :)

    • http://seanrasmussen.com/ Sean Rasmussen

      That takes me back to some good ‘old’ memories. It’s almost scary. We now live in the future! Good old Apple.

    • http://dufaukz.com Dufaukz

      Nice designs!

    • Gombáu

      Unbelievable!!!!!

    • http://acadianawebsites.com Bryan Broussard

      Great post!!!

    • http://anhgirlxinh.com Anh girl xinh

      Great post, I love Apple!!!

    • http://www.bebop-ad.com BebopDesigner

      I’m blown away man! I can’t believe you found all that stuff… what a brilliant post! I’m a Mac lover… what can I say. Thanks for posting.

    • http://www.amorwebdesign.com Mark Rosser

      Excellent post, thank you. Remember quite a few of those from the 80′s & 90′s.

    • WallMountedHDD4Linux

      So basically they went from very geeky, techy, respectable ads that were gutsy, only somewhat pretentious….to ads reliant on colors, pop culture, being the epitome of trendy and hip, and pretentious to hell and back?

      Yeah. I see no trend of improvement.

    • http://www.aledesign.it aledesign.it

      Fantastic post and the video are amazing!

    • http://www.psprint.com/stickers-labels Ashely Adams : Sticker Printing

      Have always been a fan of Apple. It’s a company I have a lot of respect for. Have always loved the happy marriage of technology and aesthetics. The Windows vs. Mac ads were hilarious. Couldn’t agree more.

    • http://www.small-tree.com Jayne

      Wow these are great, I especially love the 70′s Apple II!

    • Andrew Thompson

      Great stuff, but you can tell the intro was written by a designer: “Apple HAVE … with THEIR..”. Apple IS a company and IS therefore singular. The copywriters in the seventies knew that (read the ads), but that was before type became a design element and grammar an optional extra.

      Love the compilation, though. Thanks for compiling and publishing.

    • stevebert

      I think you can really see the break between the MessagePad 2000 ad and the first Bondi iMac ad. Steve Jobs takes over here and his minimalist aesthetic is quite obviously behind the change.

    • http://www.webdesignerdepot.com Walter

      Love the feedback and thanks for the positive comments. I’ve reviewed the text and I think I’ve corrected it all.

      Thanks again for bringing this to my attention.

    • RoaldA

      Haha, so funny! :D

    • http://circleboxcreative.com/ Callum Chapman

      Excellent round-up, thanks for sharing!

    • http://www.pixmac.com Vitezslav Valka

      Gorgeous! Thank you for getting that together :-)

    • http://www.blog.exxcorpio.com Luis Lopez

      I think this is amazing, that’s the proof why everyone loves and dream having an apple product.
      The best are the mac vs pc

    • http://www.zamplr.com zamplr

      Wow, I love Apple II era.

    • http://inniosoft.wordpress.com Michael Rockett

      Very nice – it’s actually the first time ive seen the old apples =) nice compilation! :)

    • Alejandro

      Ho ho, great compilation.

    • http://www.protoshare.com Andrea

      It’s nice to see the evolution of one company/brand. Great post! I also find it interesting that in advertising, less really is more (notice how the amount of copy dramatically decreased over the years) as we are inundated with so much advertising media these days.

    • http://www.boraacemi.com BORABORA

      Great collection! Thanks for putting up all this together!
      Best wishes
      BORABORA

    • http://www.onMarketing.de Ralf Zmölnig

      Only one word: Yeah!

    • http://www.classictiffany.co.uk/ tiffany and co

      Thanks for your information, i have read it, very good！

    • http://www.dj-service-bayern.de dj münchen

      apple is great !

    • http://www.classesandcareers.com/ Liberal Arts

      The designs are more impressive now, but how sad that there is less attempt to teach and inform than in the past. Of course, the primary object of the teaching and informing was to sell, but at least there was some valid data and intelligence in the wordier advertisements of the past.

    • joe

      Awwww those were the days, I remember it was like yesterday when my parents bought me, my first Mac Classic with NEC laser printer (300dpi) in the 80s with Pagemaker from Computerland! Thanks for sharing!

    • http://www.cypherbox.net cypherbox

      Apple is awesome cool from design to functionality and of course the quality. I just remember how my iPod shuffle misplaced in a mug, accidentally my brother put a hot water in it for a coffee break. Guess what? It’s still working after that ’til now.hehehe..

    • http://www.illuminz.com ILLUMINZ

      Great compilation!

      Apple has always created hype because they have a “think different” marketing agency.

      @zeemiDesign you always work in underpants?? :D

    • http://www.code.my Code.My

      Wow, Great Collection and Apple old ads look really bad

    • dicklacara
    • http://www.patrickvalmont.com patrickv

      NIce, apple’s video ad really sucked though !! but their picture ads is really cool

    • W. Anderson

      As owner of an iMAC running Snow Leopard OS (still using VM Ware Fusion so I can run my Microsoft suff– I still dream of a universal operating sytem with no need to use virtual systems. I use genealogy software (Family Tree maker 2009 by choice) and long to se a version for MAC that runs the same features easy to use as FTM9 (no genealogy proram for MAC matches it for use and efficiency). So MR Apple, take the next step to a fully integrated universal system and enlarge the cosmos for us all.

    • http://www.qloob.com شات

      Wow these are great,
      thanks

    • http://banhawi.com/ Banhawi

      Big apple fan :)

    • http://www.anistock.com Anistock

      the more I come back to this article, the more I am amazed by Apple, pity they lost thier way in the 90′s.

    • http://www.auto-tool-shop.com/ Lexia 3 Citroen Peugeot

      Apple is the coolest company in the world. I like this company and Jobs.

    • http://leandronovaes.wordpress.com Leandro Novaes – Brazil

      Congraturations! I’m a Apple Fan Boy!

    • http://redstage.com/magento Redstage Magento

      Some of these ads are just amazing. I can remember a couple of the old ones. It just shows how technology and the ways of advertisement have evolved.

    • Allison K (FILM 240)

      I really love seeing the whole evolution of the Apple ads. A lot has definitely changed.
      It’s very interesting to see how the older Apple ads were more anecdotal advertisements of the ‘everyday people,’ as well as using famous names like Ford and Thomas Edison. Large, bold, and short phrases to catch audience’s attention were also familiar patterns throughout. And looking at the Apple advertisements of the 21st century, everything is still somewhat colourful (especially those ipod dancing ads), yet minimalistic and fewer captioning. With Apple’s massive popularity these days, these ads have definitely come a long way to help boost its consumer audience.

    • http://www.dramabarroco.blogspot.com Suelen Pessoa

      Like Newton said: Oops, an Apple!

      =)

    • http://www.tutorgrafico.com juan carlos

      Gran trabajo

    • Krag

      The demise of AAPL has been greatly exaggerated, over the last 20 years.

      Present capitalization rate will place them worth more than GE in 10 years.

    • http://treino.org Ricardo Mentzer

      Man, this is the best compilation !
      congratulations
      From Brazil!

    • http://www.duran-design.com Jose Duran III

      Thank’s for a great compilation of pure art-mac. I personally bought my first Mac II on l987 and it was my first computer. That was a turn point in my life. I never used an other type. It’s my way of life. I love just about everything about Macs. Even the adverts about it.
      Running a iMac 20″, an i book 15″ and Iphone to work and entertainment my self.
      saludos from Spain to all MacFans!

    • http://blog.rainer.eschen.name rainwebs

      Great compilation. Interesting development in products. Would we have the quality of the iPhone without the ideas of a Newton?

    • http://sansherif.wordpress.com/ Bonna

      The Emotional Design was the great view of marketing. While the others sell technology, Apple sells life style and entertainment, Awesome!

    • Ruysantana

      Youmademyday
      greatworkthankyou

    • http://www.vittoria.pf Vittoria

      Great compilation, thanks.

    • http://mdmi.blogspot.com J Broström

      Great compilation!

    • http://www.mediabids.com Print Advertising

      Really interesting to see the evolution of the ads and the different concepts within each campaign. Apple has done a fantastic job of making you think with their print ads as well as conveying the potential benefits of their product.

    • http://xkonstantine.wordpress.com Kate

      Brilliant collection – thanks for posting!

    • überRegenbogen

      The “1984 won’t be like 1984″ Mac ad was NOT Apple’s first TV ad. I distinctly remember the “What If” Apple II ad with Dick Cavett. I suspect there were others. There also was a Lisa ad with (then unknown) Kevin Costner (though i’m not sure if it was pre-Mac).

    • http://www.alejandroperazzo.com/ Alvaro Hernandorena

      great work, awsome compilation!!!

      some where very funny lol

    • http://www.anactivesite.ch Minocula

      Great collection, specially Apple Crazies and Macintosh 1984 I very like! thx!

      But the master of computer advertising is still steve balmer ;)

      check that out

      http://wiki.anactivesite.ch/Videos/Broadcaster/IT#Old_Windows_Commercial

      Kind regards

    • http://www.aydesign.net web tasarım

      Great collection, specially Apple Crazies and Macintosh 1984 I very like! thx!

    • binE

      Thx a lot for this post

    • Siq

      It’s interesting how the ads get less and less wordy over time to the point that there are almost no words at all.

    • amcieq

      great job, gonna study it hard ;)

    • http://circleboxblog.com Callum Chapman

      I’m revisiting because I love Apple ads. They should really open up section in the Apple store to sell all these posters!

    • http://www.chotrul.com/design/design-showcase.html Chotrul Web Design

      I’d never seen the earliest ads you’ve shared … they are truly retro, for a brand that I have very different associations with. My, how design styles change over time!

      Many thanks for the great selection of videos in particular which really showcase what is so special about Apple and their design.

    • http://masterfreetzi.ru/ компьютерная помощь в москве

      great collection, thanks

    • http://www.gmbar.com/ cheap wow gold

      good post , I like it very much

    • http://www.paralante.net Paralante

      Excuse me my english is little. because I like the Apple ads Revisiting clubs. They really all these posters to sell part of Apple store must be open to.

    • http://www.asteknikhirdavat.com/ hırdavat

      great collection ı phone.. I love apple…

    • http://www.airconditioningforperth.com.au air conditioning company

      great post wow how times have change and apple has been making life easier what’s next I guess only time will tell

    • http://turnkeye.com TurnkeyEcommerce

      Newton was great device :)

    • dicklacara
    • http://www.horn.com Michael Lupescu

      Wow, what a beautiful collection of work! Apple is all about creativity and truly being different, constantly leading and inspiring!

      Thanks for this great post!

    • http://www.hamsjazan.com/vb منتدى

      great post wow how times have change and apple has been making life easier what’s next I guess only time will tell

    • http://www.5jul.com شات

      Haha, so funny!

    • http://www.elinpa.com hırdavat malzemeleri

      good subject and so fine :) ))

    • http://www.akfhafriyat.com.tr hafriyat

      amazing.. thanx for post

    • http://www.akfhafriyat.com.tr hafriyat

      thanks.. great compilation

    • http://www.sinosells.com/?u=636 Fris

      very beautiful design,thanks very much!

    • http://www.ellipsisdive.com ellipsisdive

      Apple has evolved since its start in the 80s. Currently, i believe it is bigger than Microsoft and Google in IT, because they produce both software and hardware.

    • http://www.chameleondsgn.blogspot.com Edwin Ortega Bu

      Apple really knows how to make our life different, apple is a revolutionary product.
      This is one of the coolest post I had ever read, thanks for share this stuff with us, very nice job, congrats.

    • http://www.lead411.com/Lori_Austen_3115984.html Lori Austen

      Superb post……The Windows vs. Mac ads were hilarious.

    • http://www.girloncanvas.com Christie

      All ads pre-1990 were giving me anxiety with all that type. Obviously less was not more back then.

    • http://dir.al-sa1.com دليل شاتات

      great post wow how times have change and apple has been making life easier what’s

    • http://www.stripeyhorsecreative.com/book_graphic_design_1.html Graphic designer

      Some of those old adverts are cool! Its hard to believe advertising use to have so much text in it… Maybe we had more attention span ba………

    • http://www.frwlh.com/vb فراوله

      I’m revisiting because I love Apple ads. They should really open up section in the Apple store to sell all these posters!

    • http://www.perfilgeek.com Edwin Sandoval

      The successfull history of Apple based in two terms, creativity and simplicity.

    • http://flaviopaiva.com/ Flavio

      Apple has good products and good ads. They have great lessons to us. 1984 is one of the best ones.

    • http://netbook-online.org Sonari

      Hi,

      the thing is, Apple has a dämn good marketing battalion, i call it so, because they make their money only over marketing.
      Because the important way to sell your products is, bind the customer with feelings to this product in the advertisement.
      The products aren’t good as i set up my own computersystem. I can do that only in the harmony in which way the hardware components play together.
      Apple build there computers in a way that can’t be done at home.
      I’ve seen it on their new MacBook Air. They have deconstruct a SSD Memory and integrated it directly on the mainboard.
      Thats a other way of quality but doesn’t excuses the high prices of their products!

      By the way, Apple isn’t a company any more, which is specified on computers. They’ve take the cake with the iPhone.

      Hope you know what i mean ;)

      Greetings

    • http://www.benjieboo.co.uk Benjamin Christine

      Thats brilliant! wish i had been more of a apple user back in the day!
      Really great stuff though! thanks

    • http://www.ipixelpro.com jafar

      Excellent collection man

    • http://www.allwebusa.com Yuri Suarez

      Absolutely agree TheGameJc, Apple is the best platform for multimedia.

      Thank for sharing it.

    • http://www.degreejungle.com/online/degrees/computers Computers

      Really neat to see the full progression. Great collection.

    • http://www.sayvende.com/ Desiree Arias

      Awesome work, i suppose you had to put lot of hours preparing this..

    • Soaring Butterfly

      Exxxxxxccccelllent!
      Thank you.

    • http://maximodesign.blogspot.com/ mario

      excellent selection did not know that Apple had changed through the years …

    • http://www.justinmind.com Etienne

      Great to see the evolution of a brand, but more than that, the evolution of advertising in general! Insightful!

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